The Whole Half - Week 1 Part 2

I did my long run outside yesterday, because the Y doesn't open on Sundays until noon and I wanted to get the run over as soon as possible since I was dreading it and not sure how well I would do. Plus I know that the race will be outside too, so it only makes sense to run at least some of my miles outside.


I have a glorious neighborhood for running. Really, I do. I'm not rich, but I found an awesome apartment very close to the houses of rich people. People who hire lawn care services and have tennis courts in their backyards. People who hire professional landscapers and have marble lions on either side of their driveway. And while I'm pretty sure I'll never find myself living in one of these gorgeous historic homes, I do have the privelege of running on the streets outside the homes. That's the advantage running outside has over running in the gym. In the gym, the only thing you have to look at is the sweaty old guy on the elliptical facing your treadmill. And when you stare too long he starts to feel uncomfortable. When I'm outside, I can look at the trees, the beautiful homes, the animals, the other people running exponentially faster than me. It's much more fun!

My long run for this first week of training was three miles. The last time I ran three miles was during the Race for the Cure last October, just over a year ago. I've seriously let myself go, I know. I took off with the determination to run absolutely as much of the three miles as I could. I ran up and down the streets, from Robinson to Shartel and back. The sun was shining, I’m assuming birds were chirping (I was listening to my iPod), and before I knew it my three miles was up! It was a great run, and when I got home I felt invigorated, empowered and sweaty. I loved my Sunday run and am more confident that my body can handle this whole training thing than I was last week at this time. I have a feeling that this week is going to be another good one! We’ll see…